Xander and the Spring of the Drowned Girl
by Aaerial15
Summary: Buffy and company are in China when they visit the cursed springs. One thing leads to another, and Xander lands in the spring of drowned girl. Buffy and her friends must then seek out the only one known to defeat the cursed springs: Ranma Saotome.
1. A Visit to China

**Xander and the Spring of the Drowned Girl**

**A Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ranma 1/2 crossover**

_Author's note: I do not own the characters in this story, just the situations involved. All Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters are the property of Joss Whedon. All Ranma 1/2 characters are the property of Rumiko Takahasi. That being said, enjoy!_

**Ch.1 A Visit to China**

Buffy Summers couldn't remember a time she had ever felt this free. The First Evil's plan to bring suffering to the world had been effectively derailed. Sunnydale's hellmouth was destroyed, along with the city itself. It had been a time of great joy and great sadness at once. Buffy and her friends had triumphed, but at a huge cost. Anya, Amanda, and Spike had been lost during the final battle, as well as several other potentials. "What are we going to do now?" Dawn had questioned as the group stared into the crater that was left of Sunnydale. Giles was quick to point out that there was another hellmouth in Cleveland, Ohio. No rest for the weary.

As it turned out, Cleveland wasn't that bad. As a result of the spell Willow cast, slayers were popping up everywhere. Evil was truly on the run. Buffy's main challenge was locating new slayers so that they could be trained properly. The Watchers Council having been destroyed, Giles formed a new council. Things ran smoothly for several months. Then Buffy got the surprise of a life time. Spike had been reincarnated in Los Angeles, and had acutally been helping Angel for a while. It was after Angel's group had a final battle of their own that Spike rejoined Buffy.

"I thought you were gone," Buffy said when Spike showed up without warning on her doorstep. Spike smirked. "What can I say? I'm bad." Buffy laughed at the joke. "Come in, Spike." The blonde vampire entered with no further theatrics. It was at this moment that Xander Harris came downstairs. "Hey, Buffy," he greeted with a smile. "Spike," he acknowledged, before doing a double take. The look on his face sent Buffy into a fit of laughter. "Wait...What...Huh?" Xander asked. He'd never been more confused. "I'm baack!" Spike said with a laugh.

The entire group got together. "I think a vacation is in order," Buffy said happily. As Dawn and Willow jumped for joy, Giles asked, "What about the new slayers?" Buffy shrugged. It was only a half-hearted objection. Running the new Watcher's Council was tough work. Giles had never felt so tired, not even when he was training to be a watcher. "What about them?" Buffy asked. "Kennedy and Rona are capable enough to run things for a while." Giles gave her a look. "Yes, because nothing could possibly go wrong there." Buffy rolled her eyes. "What, we've been fighting the good fight for seven years now. We deserve some R&R." Willow put a hand on Buffy's shoulder and smiled happily. "We could call Angel to babysit them," she suggested.

Spike fell to the ground laughing at this. "Calling Angel to watch a bunch of teenage hormone bombs? I don't even think Drusilla could come up with a worse torture, and she's insane." Giles gave in. "It's settled then," Buffy said. "So where should we go?" Dawn asked. She, too, couldn't stop laughing at the prospect of Angel having to babysit. "I don't know," Buffy replied. Xander scratched his chin. "Hawaii, the Bahamas," he said with a laugh. "Except it's winter right now, and there's no chance of seeing girls in bikinis," Giles pointed out. Xander's smile changed to a frown. "I hear China's lovely this time of year," Spike suggested.

"I always wanted to see the Great Wall," Buffy said. "China?" Giles asked. "How?" Spike laughed. "I have plenty of money," he said. "Come on, live a little." Giles sighed heavily. And a few days later, Buffy and company were on a plane to China. Buffy remembered the look of disbelief on Angel's face when she convinced him to slayer-sit. "Really?" he asked. "You want me to stay here for two weeks while you go to China?" Buffy resorted to the most feared weapon in her arsenal, and it wasn't a stake.

The dreaded puppy-dog pout. "That's not gonna work, Buffy," he said in protest. Buffy was undettered. She continued to stare at him. Finally Angel could take no more. "Fine," he said. "But you owe me, big time," he warned. As soon as he said this, Kennedy came out of the house with a sly grin on her face. "Don't worry, Buffy. We'll be good." The Slayer narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. "You'd better," she said sternly.

Xander was sitting next to Buffy as the plane landed. "Do you know where we are?" he asked with a grin. Buffy shrugged. "I have no idea, Xand." A flight attendant happened to overhear their conversation. "We're in Jusenkyo Province," the young lady replied. "Thank you," Buffy said with a smile. The group exited the plane with no further adue. "At least it's night right now," Spike said. Willow put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I saw a bunch of springs just before we landed," she said. Buffy smiled. "I could use a midnight swim."


	2. How the Curse Works

**Ch.2 How the Curse Works**

It took a while, but the gang soon found the Jusenkyo Springs. "There's just so many," Buffy said. Willow and Xander stared with awe. Spike scoffed. "Yeah yeah, it's beautiful. Now who's up for a swim?" As he ran toward the closest spring his path was blocked by a small little man. "You can't go in there," he said. The fear in his voice was evident. "Why not?" Buffy questioned. "We just want to go for a swim," Willow added happily. The man began frantically gesturing. "No, no, you don't understand. These springs are cursed." The entire group looked at him like he was crazy.

"Cursed how?" Buffy asked. It seemed she couldn't get a break from the slaying. She rolled her eyes. "Each spring has it's own tragedy," the little man said. He shook his head as Xander and Spike passed by him. Spike thought of a prank as Xander stood next to one of the springs. Quickly and without warning, he pushed Xander from behind. The little man sighed. Why couldn't anyone ever listen to his warning? He knew the particular spring Xander landed in. There was at least one other he could remember who landed in that one.

Buffy sent Spike a look, then broke down laughing. She never thought she'd see the day Spike would be more concerned with pranking someone than killing. A lot had changed since he'd got his soul back. The group looked expectantly toward the spring. A few bubbles later and someone emerged. Buffy's expression went from one of laughter to one of anger. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Where's Xander?" Standing before them was a red head who roughly resembled Xander in height and build.

The girl looked confused. "What do you mean, Buff? I'm right-" she stopped talking. It couldn't be. Xander felt fine, but he had the voice of... "No, no no!" he exclaimed. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe this was just a bad dream. He looked down in disbelief. To his chagrin, a pair of breasts were now on his chest. It took him all of two seconds to reach full panic mode. "This can't be happening," he said. Buffy and Willow tried to calm the girl in front of them down.

"Let's start at square one," Buffy said, once they got him contained. "Who are you? And what happened to our friend, Xander?" The girl began gesturing frantically. "You don't understand, Buffy," the girl replied in an ever growing hysterical tone. "_I'm_ Xander!" Buffy and Willow exchanged a confused look. "No way," Willow replied. The little man felt it necessary to intervene. "You fall in Spring of Drowned Girl," he said slowly. Buffy shook her head. "I still don't believe it," she said. She looked the girl up and down. "This seems to be a demon thing," she continued. At this, Xander's fear intensified.

"I can prove I'm Xander," she said frantically. Willow began to feel deja vu. "Prove it, how?" Buffy asked. Xander looked right at Willow. "When we were in kindergarden, you cried because you broke the yellow crayon," he said quickly. Turning to Buffy, he continued, "And you, when I cast that love spell and had every girl in Sunnydale after me, you really tried, but I didn't take advantage of you," he said. Buffy and Willow exchanged a look. "It's Xander, all right," Buffy conceded.

The little man interjected, "There a story many years ago about a girl who drown in that spring," he said with a laugh. "Now you take her form," he said. At this point, Spike began rolling in laughter. "Oh, this is too good, Slayer," he said between laughs. Xander's expression changed from worry to anger. Grabbing a stake out of the duffle bag they had with them, he charged the blonde vampire. "This is all your fault!" he yelled as he tried to stake Spike. If Buffy hadn't been quick to grab him, he might have succeeded, as Spike's guard was down from laughing so hard.

"Xander, I don't think Spike meant to turn you into a girl," she said softly. Willow gave him an understanding look. "It's gonna be fine," she said. "We'll check in at the hotel with Giles and go into research mode." Xander nodded. "I hope so," he said as they departed.

"Oh, dear lord." Giles couldn't believe what he'd just heard. And yet, here was the proof in front of him. Xander, Buffy and Willow looked at him expectantly. "I've never heard of these cursed springs before," he said. Xander got right to the point. "Please, tell me you can fix it," he begged. Spike stiffled a laugh. A death glare from Xander silenced him. "I should drag you back there and push you in," Xander retorted angrily. Sensing that Xander may try to make good on this threat, Buffy quickly positioned herself between the two. "Now now, we don't need two new girls," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "It's gonna be hard enough now that we have one." Xander shook his head in shame. He never thought he'd see the day he'd be a member of the XX's. He was just glad they left high school a long time ago, as he'd never hear the end of this humiliation. "Maybe a shower will make you feel better," Willow suggested. Xander nodded his/her head in agreement. In all the excitement, he realized something: the spring water Spike had thrown him in was freaking cold.

"You're welcome to use my conditioner," Buffy said as Xander entered the bathroom. There was a muffled series of grumbles in return. "Fine, be that way," Buffy quipped in mock anger. She gave him credit. He was handling this well. She didn't know how well she'd do if the roles were reversed, and she were stuck as a guy. At the thought of that, she shuddered. The group was startled by Dawn's sudden and unexpected arrival. "Where have you been?" Buffy demanded sternly. "I thought you were with Giles."

Dawn shook her head. 'Not again,' she thought. Over protective Buffy was about to make another nasty appearance. "Buffy, I'm 16 years old," she replied, with a hint of brattiness. "When are you going to stop treating me like I'm ten?" A shocked look made it's way across Buffy's face. "When do I treat you like that?" she demanded. Dawn pretended to be thoughtful. "Let's see, dates, school, home-" Buffy cut her sister off. "Now you're over-dramatizing," she said with a laugh. "It's ok, Buffy," Giles said, coming to the teen's defense. Buffy looked understandingly at her former Watcher. "I sent her to order some room service," he explained.

"And it's on it's way," Dawn replied. She couldn't help but notice Spike's quiet laughter. "So, how did your trip to the springs go?" she asked. Spike deadpanned it. No use delaying it, she was gonna find out sooner or later. "Xander's a girl," he said with a grin. Dawn processed the information for all of two seconds. "No way!" she said. "Way," Willow replied. "And she's hot, if I do say so myself," she continued. The entire room stared at her, mouths wide open.

"Oh, god," she said. "I can't believe I just said that out loud," she said, with a look of embarassment. "Well," Dawn said with a laugh. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." Buffy tried to stop her. "Dawn, Xander's in there showering," she said. "It's cool, we're all girls here," Dawn replied with a laugh. Willow nodded her agreement. "She's got a point there, Buffy," she said. Buffy gave up. "Ok, but at least knock," she lectured. Dawn rolled her eyes at that.

Xander thoroughly enjoyed the warm water rushing on him. He was so immersed in comfort, he didn't notice the changes. After fifteen minutes, he decided it was finally time to get out and dry off. No sooner than he'd set foot outside the shower, he heard a knock on the door, then Dawn came bursting in. "Hey, Xander, I know you're a gi-AAHH!" Xander almost fell back into the tub. "Dawn... naked... oh no," he studdered for a minute as Dawn ran out in fear. It took him a while to realize he was a guy again.

A whoop for joy was heard throughout the hotel. An awkward few minutes later, and a male Xander called out, "Can someone bring me my suitcase?" Dawn shook her head, saying, "No thanks, I don't need to see anymore naked Xander!" Spike sighed. "Oh, bloody hell!" he said gruffly. Buffy glared at her younger sister. "I told you to knock," she scolded. Dawn looked at the floor. "I did," she defended. Xander finally emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed and dry... and a guy.

"Xander, you're back to normal," Willow said happily. Xander smiled. "Now we can forget this ever happened," he answered back. Giles looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think it's that easy," he said. Xander was too distracted by being back to normal to hear him. Buffy got an idea. They had to know if the curse was truly beaten. Grabbing an arm, she dragged Xander back into the bathroom. "No way, no more seeing me... you know," he protested. But his plea fell on deaf ears.

Grabbing a glass on their way, Buffy filled it with cold water from the sink. Without warning, she splashed Xander with it. He instantly reverted back to a girl. "That's interesting," she commented as Xander looked at his reflection in disbelief.


	3. Xander the Dressup Doll

**Ch.3 Xander the Dressup Doll**

The events of the evening sent Xander into a restful sleep. He splashed himself again with hot water, and immediately called it a night. As he slept, he hoped to dream of ways to repay Spike for his sense of humor. At least he tried. The dream he was actually having was quite different. He dreamed that they'd returned to America, and he still had the curse. As they returned to the house, the girls lay in wait. The moment he stepped on the porch, Kennedy splashed him with a bucket of cold water.

"So it's true," she said with a laugh. Xander stood wide eyed as she looked him over, as though she were inspecting a piece of meat. "I thought Will was kidding," she quipped. Her eyes seemed to light up as she took in the appearance of Xander as a girl. "Ok, you've seen it," Xander said in an annoyed tone. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to find some hot water to correct this... problem." He tried to edge by Kennedy, but she didn't budge. It was times like these she enjoyed being a Slayer.

"Oh, no, the fun is just beginning, isn't it, girls?" she asked. It was at this moment that Xander realized he was surrounded. Five other slayers formed a circle around him, making escape futile. Where was Buffy when he needed her. Surely she would not endorse the torture that was about to ensue. "What do you mean?" he asked fearfully. Kennedy snickered. "Don't worry, we'll show you the ropes of girl world," she said lightly. Xander tried to back away. "No thanks, no ropes for me," he replied, but there was no where to go.

As the girls proceeded to drag him into the house, he woke in his bed, sweat dripping down his face. He resolved at that very moment, he was staying as far away from cold water as humanly possible. If that was the trigger, he'd never give it the chance. Spike stood in the doorway, quietly laughing at the sight before him. He didn't enter further into the room, as sunlight poured in through the open window. "Rough night?" he asked with a laugh.

"One word, and I'll pull you in here and watch you burn," Xander shot back angrily. Spike's smile widened. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he said in mock fear. Xander slowly got out of bed, as Spike left the room. As he began to dress, he heard Buffy call, "Xander, I need to talk to you!" Xander shook his head. "Give me a sec to get dressed, geez!" he barked impatiently. Five minutes later, he emerged fully dressed. "What's up Buff?" he asked lightly.

"Well, Giles is researching your problem at the moment," Buffy began. Xander breathed a sigh of relief. "In the mean time, well, Will and I talked, and we need to be prepared in case you become acquainted with cold water." Xander laughed. "I have the perfect solution," he said with a smile. Buffy stared at him quizzically. "What is it?" she asked. Xander smiled. "I'm staying away from cold water," he announced. Buffy considered it.

"Ok, that sounds good, but what if it rains?" she asked, pointing an obvious flaw in his plan. "Then I won't go outside," he replied. Buffy shook her head. "Look, we both know that at some point you'll get splashed with cold water," she said. Xander shook his head in protest. "Not if I never leave the hotel," he reasoned. "Well, just in case, Will, Dawn and I are taking you shopping to find proper... female clothing," she said seriously.

"Buff, what's the big deal? I'm not a girl, I'm a guy. As long as I stay dry, I won't need any girl clothes," he protested. Buffy shook her head. She nodded to Dawn who had snuck behind him with a glass of water. Without warning, she poured it over his head, causing him to change to female. "Hey!" he yelled. "Look at that, you're a girl now," Buffy quipped. "Looks like your plan didn't work." Dawn stood next to her sister. "I wanna dress him up now," she said with a grin.

"Will, are you ready?" Buffy yelled. In response, Willow emerged from the bathroom. "Looking good, Xand," she said with a laugh. "That's another thing," Buffy said. A look of fear crossed Xander's face. "What's another thing?" he asked, hoping he was wrong. "We can't call you Xander while you're in this form," she replied. Willow nodded in agreement. "Buffy's right, you need a girl's name," she said softly. Xander vigorously shook his head no.

"I think we should call him Daphne," Dawn said quickly. This earned her a strange look from everyone in the room. "What? we call ourselves the Scoobies, and Daphne from Scooby Doo has red hair like Xander," she defended. "It should be his choice," Buffy said. Xander shook his head. He could see there was no winning this argument. "Fine, fine, call me Xandra," he said with a hint of frustration in his voice. "Oooh, I like it," Willow said, a smile growing on her face.

"Let's get this over with," Xander said resignedly. He hung his head as the girls escorted him out of the apartment. "Look on the bright side," Buffy said as they went to the elevator. "What possible bright side could there be?" Xander asked. "Spike's paying for your new clothes," she replied. Xander smiled at that. "Serves him right," he said. What followed was a blur of dressing rooms. "Try this one, Xandra," Dawn said. Xandra looked at the dress for all of five seconds. "Dawn, I'm not wearing anything pink," he snapped. Dawn pouted. "Why not?" she asked. "I think it's your color."

Willow looked at the dress in question. It didn't seem right. "I'm with Xand on this one," she said. Dawn put it back on the rack in huff. "You guys are no fun," she said. Buffy emerged with an emerald green number. "Now this one, I like," Xandra said. "I don't suppose one of you lovely ladies would model it for me?" Xandra asked with a laugh. The looks they were giving him were answer enough. "Fine, I just thought I shouldn't be the only one to participate in this torture," he said.

Many hours later, and the four girls returned from their shopping spree. Buffy saw Xandra's point, and her, Dawn and Willow each had a few new outfits of their own. They almost ran over Giles on there way in, as he was lost in a book. "How much did your shopping spree cost me?" Spike asked. "About 1000 yiao," Buffy said. Spike shrugged. He was about to say something when Giles interrupted him. "I finally found something on the Spring of Drowned Girl," he said.

At this, Xander got interested. he was soaking wet from hot water, but he was back in his body. "Do tell," he said. Giles nodded. "There is only one who has fallen in that spring to have reversed the curse," he continued. "Does it say who?" Buffy questioned. "It does. Ranma Saotome." Xander spoke for everyone. "Let's find this person," he said.


	4. Seeking Help

**Ch.4 Seeking Help**

"Ranma Saotome," Buffy repeated. "I've never heard of him." Giles nodded. "Neither have I Buffy," he replied. Xander was drying himself off with a towel. "So, how do we find him," he asked with a laugh. Buffy shook her head. "He visited the springs, right?" she asked. "That must mean he lives here somewhere." Willow nodded. "I'll get on the computer and see if I can track down his address. Buffy nodded. "He's as good as found," Xander said with a laugh.

"Maybe not," Giles countered. "From what I've read he's a wanderer. He's also a world class martial artist." Everyone in the room frowned. This could be harder than they thought. As they began the search, Dawn entered. She took one look at Xander and shook her arm. "Aw," she complained. "I wanted to make you model." Xander enjoyed a victory laugh. "Ha ha!" he exclaimed. "You're too late!" Too late he realized his mistake. "Easily fixed," Dawn replied.

She rushed to the kitchen, and soon the sound of what could only be cold water was heard being poured. "Now Dawn, be reasonable," Xander pleaded. The look on her face told him she wasn't interested. She slowly advanced on him with the water. "Come on, Xander. Embrace your feminine side." As she got closer, Buffy grabbed her arm. "Dawn, he said no." Xander once again laughed at Dawn's expense. Buffy shot him a look that instantly made him stop laughing. "You can play dress up with Xandra later," she said. Xander's face fell.

Spike chose just that moment to enter the room. Night had fallen, and he had left to get some excercise. "Oh, this I've got to see," he said, enjoying the look of fear that washed over Xander's face. At Spike's entrance, Xander's expression hardened. "I will kill you," he growled. Spike scoffed at the threat. "Pfft, like you could," he shot back. Buffy quickly broke up the argument. They didn't have time for this. As amused as she was over Xander's current situation, she too wanted to fix it as quickly as possible.

Like lightning her hands shot out. "If you two don't stop fighting I'm gonna knock you out," she warned. Xander quickly nodded. Buffy threatening him with physical harm was something he strove to avoid. "Why don't the three of you go for a walk," Willow suggested. Spike glared at her. "Oh, sure," he protested. "And what's to stop girly-boy over here from staking me the second we're gone?" Buffy looked straight at him. "He knows better," she answered in an even tone that betrayed the threat behind it. Xander remained silent, but it was time to voice his own protest.

"And what's to stop her from splashing me with cold water and having a round of dressup?" he asked, nodding in Dawn's direction. Dawn put her hands on her hips. Buffy answered before Dawn could say a word. "She won't," she said. She looked Dawn right in the eyes. "Right?" she asked. Dawn nodded. "I promise," she replied. With that the trio took their leave. As the door closed Giles let out an exasperated sigh. "Finally!" he said.

"So what are we gonna do?" Xander asked as soon as they got outside. Spike shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'll catch you later," the vampire replied. As he moved to leave, Xander quiped, "Be home by sun up. I'd hate to hear that you'd burst into flames!" Spike didn't miss a beat. "What, and deny you the pleasure of my company," he fired back. He laughed. "Nah, I hate you too much to send you on a vacation." Xander smiled to himself. He'd never admit it, but Spike had grown on him over the years. They almost had a brotherly relationship. That's why, no matter what Buffy said, he had to get even with Spike for this.

"Hey I know what we can do," Dawn said as soon as Spike was gone. Xander backed away from the young teen. In his experience, the Summers women were extremely crafty when it came to getting something they wanted. "You heard Buffy," he warned. Dawn lightly punched him in the arm. "I wasn't talking about that, dummy," she replied. She laughed at the look of relief on Xander's face. "I was thinking, this Ranma person might be local, right?" she asked with a laugh.

"Ok," he replied. Dawn smiled. "So let's help Buffy and Willow by asking people about him. Maybe someone knows him." Xander thought about it. "I guess we could do that," he replied. As they began their search. a blue-haired girl suddenly jumped in their way. She seemed to come out of nowhere. "You looking for Ranma-chan?" she asked. Never in Xander's life had he been so happy. "You know him?" he asked. The girl nodded.

"Shampoo know Ranma," she answered with a smile. "Ok," Dawn replied. "So where can we find him?" she asked. Shampoo laughed. "Silly girl, Ranma no live here," she replied. "Where does he live?" Xander asked slowly. Shampoo smiled. "He live in Japan. Shampoo not see him in five years," she replied. Xander tried to hug her, but was stopped when she side stepped him. Spike hadn't found anything interesting, and was coming back when he saw what he thought was a girl attacking Xander.

He vamped, and rushed in. As soon as he grabbed her, he was on the ground. Shampoo stood over him, prepared to deliver the final blow. "It's ok," Dawn said. "He's our friend." Shampoo considered it. "He's a monster," she replied. Xander tried hard to contain his laughter. Spike had just got manhandled by a girl who wasn't a slayer. He only wished he had a video camera. Still, Buffy's warning flashed in his mind. "Yes, he is a monster," Xander agreed. "But he's a good monster."

Shampoo reached down and pulled Spike to his feet. "Would you mind coming with us?" Dawn asked. Shampoo smiled. "I don't mind," she replied. They turned to take her to Buffy. Xander in particular, couldn't wait to tell them how Spike had got his ass kicked.

Willow typed quickly. Not surprisingly, the search came up blank. "This guy is practically invisible," she said. Buffy stood next to her. "I know. It's like he doesn't exist." They had typed the name 'Ranma Saotome' into every known database Willow could find. They even tried Google. So far, nothing, nada, zip. Giles chuckled quietly. He had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. "Well, maybe we could ask the locals, see if anyone knows where to find him," Willow suggested.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the door flew open. Buffy, Willow and Giles looked on in confusion as Dawn, Xander and Spike returned with a blue-haired girl. "Dawn, please tell me you didn't start kidnapping people," Buffy said sternly. "It's not like that at all, Buffy," the younger girl replied. "She's here to help," Xander said. "Plus she totally owned Spike," he added with a laugh. "My name Shampoo," the girl introduced. Buffy and Willow exchanged a look.

"Ok," Buffy replied. "She knows where to find Ranma," Xander said. At this, relief washed over Buffy's face. "Oh," she said.


	5. Boat Ride Mishaps

**Ch.5 Boat Ride Mishaps**

Xander and his friends listened quietly as Shampoo gave them the information they needed. "So, Ranma lives in Japan," Buffy said softly. Willow put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "That explains why we couldn't find him," she said with a laugh. Giles had been cleaning his glasses, and enjoyed a laugh as well. "You were looking in the wrong place," he observed. Shampoo felt at home with these strange people. "He lives in Nerima," she added.

In all the happiness, Dawn realized Xander wasn't paying attention, and remembered what Buffy said earlier. She silently crept to the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of cold water. Not to drink, of course. She smiled as she snuck up behind Xander. As she threw the water, he ducked at just the right moment. Noticing the wet stain now on the carpet in front of him, he turned to find Dawn wearing an innocent looking smile on her face and holding her hands behind her back. "What?" she asked.

"Nice try," Xander replied with a laugh. As he turned back to the crowd, he didn't notice the determined look on Dawn's face. Buffy brought the group back to earth "So, that begs the question, how are we going to get to Japan?" she asked. "We could always fly," Xander replied. It made sense. "Nah," Spike said. "It's cheaper to catch a boat." Willow smiled. "Why not? Let's take the scenic route," she said with a laugh. "Uh, I'd like to get rid of this as soon as possible," Xander responded just a little snarkily. "Hey, don't get mad at me," Willow replied. "Spike's the one who pushed you in," she defended.

"Well, I'm paying," Spike interjected. "And I say we go by boat," he said. Buffy accepted Spike's decision. "He's got a point, Xand," she said. Xander pouted. "Why do you have to take his side?" he asked. "He's the one who did this to me!" Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm sure he's sorry," she interrupted. Spike snickered at the notion. "Yeah, really sorry," he responded. There was a noticeable lack of sincerity in his tone that Xander couldn't help picking up on.

"Look on the bright side," Dawn quipped. Xander rolled his eye. "What possible bright side could there be?" he asked sarcastically. "Well, until we get it fixed, you can be my dress up doll," she responded. Xander seemed to go green at that. "That's not a bright side," he replied after a few moments. "Well, let's all get some sleep," Giles said. "Shampoo, your help has been most appreciated," he said as he held out his hand. She looked at it with a confused expression. "It's a hand shake," Dawn explained. She demonstrated by shaking Xander's hand.

Shampoo nodded, grasped Giles' hand, and began shaking it forcefully. When she finally released him, he clutched his shoulder in pain. It was as if she'd tried to pull his arm out of it's socket. "Well," he studdered for a moment. "That's quite an arm you have there," he finished. Xander remembered what she did to Spike with a grin. "You should have seen what she did to Spike," he quiped, earning a glare from the blonde vampire. "She only did that because I wasn't ready," he defended. Xander didn't buy it. "Sure," he replied. "She threw you like a rag doll because you let her." It brought joy to his heart to be able to get under Spike's skin like this.

Shampoo departed, and the Scoobies fell into a restful sleep. Xander, in particular, went to sleep high with the hope that his newfound ability to change sex would be gotten rid of soon. He was the first one out of bed the next morning. The ride to the docks was uneventful. Spike, of course was careful to avoid direct exposure to the sun. They had the luck of finding a cruise ship that just happened to be stopping by. Spike reached a deal with the ship's captain to allow himself and his friends aboard.

Night fell quickly enough. Xander happened to be standing by the pool. He really wanted to indulge in a swim, but he knew that to do so, he'd have to surrender to becoming a girl. On a plus side, Willow and Buffy had the foresight to choose a tasteful one-piece swimsuit just in case. As he debated weather he wanted to swim or not, Dawn crept silently behind him. Spike was also viewing the proceedings, though unseen to Xander.

Dawn, however, could see Spike clearly. She met eyes with the vampire, and it was as though the two could communicate telepathically. She thought about it for a brief moment, before a slight nod from Spike gave her all the encouragement she needed. Without a moment's pause, she pushed Xander into the pool. As he emerged from beneath the water, he sent Dawn a look that said he was clearly not amused. "Nicely done, Little Bit," Spike praised. Xander whirled in the water. His eyes bore a fury Spike had seen from women before, particularly Buffy.

"You!" Xander exclaimed. He tried to rush out of the pool, but his klutziness took over, and he was soon tripping over his own two feet. The sounds of his struggling brought Willow and Buffy out of nowhere. "Xander," Buffy hesitated, "I mean, Xandra, how did you end up in the pool?" she questioned. A smile was slowly creeping across her face. "If you wanted to go for a midnight swim, you should have at least changed into your swimsuit," Willow added. Finally Xandra pulled herself from the pool, and glared at Dawn.

"Dawn pushed me in," she defended. Buffy's authorative stare locked on to Dawn, who looked at her feet. She could sense a lecture was coming, but she still couldn't help smiling. "Dawn," Buffy began. Yep, lecture mode was coming. "That was awesome!" Xandra did a double take as Dawn's head snapped forward. "No," Xandra protested. "That wasn't awesome! That was bad. You should punish her," he pressed. Buffy broke out in a fit of hysterical laughter. "Nah," she said. "It does dawn on me though that I promised you'd model for her. Well, have fun with your Xandra doll, Dawn," she said with a laugh. Xandra stood stunned as Dawn began dragging her away.

The next two hours were sheer torture. Outfit after outfit were put on and taken off of Xandra. Dawn wanted to take pictures for future blackmail, but that was where Buffy drew the line. Finally, she'd had her fun, and allowed Xandra to become Xander again. As he took a hot shower, he smiled as his boobs disappeared. He was so distracted that he didn't realize he had company. Suddenly, a toilet was flushed, and screams of "COLD! COLD!" could be heard in Xander's once again feminine voice. Spike rushed out of the bathroom, laughing his head off as he ran. "SPIKE!" Xandra yelled, "I'm gonna kill you!"


End file.
